If Notre Dame's Manti Te'o doesn't win the Heisman Trophy this year, they should just change the name of the award.

Maybe "The Heisman Trophy to the Quarterback With the Gaudiest Numbers and the Coolest Nickname.''

Or "The Heisman Trophy to the Guy Who Had Something Resembling a Heisman Moment When a Lot of Voters Happened To Be Watching on TV.''

If Te'o, the Irish inside linebacker, doesn't become just the second defensive player in 78 years to win the award, no defensive player will win it in my lifetime.

And that would be a travesty.

My vote is in.

1) Te'o

2) Johnny Manziel

3) Braxton Miller

It was very simple. Te'o is the best player on the best defense for the best college football team in America. He's got the statistics, he's got the character, he's got everything and anything you'd want from a Heisman Trophy winner.

"If a guy like Manti Te'o is not going to win the Heisman, they should just make it an offensive award," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said after the Irish victory over USC. "Just give it to the offensive player every year and let's just cut to the chase. He is the backbone of a 12-0 football team that has proven itself each and every week. And showed it again tonight with another key interception and a great play in the end zone against MarqiseLee to save another touchdown. If the Heisman Trophy is what it is, I don't know how Manti Te'o is left out of that conversation."

If you're waiting for Te'o himself to push his own candidacy, you'll be waiting awhile. Self-promotion is not in the kid's DNA. During a conference call with the national media Thursday, he spoke the way he's spoken every time he's met the media: with humility and quiet grace, talking about his teammates and his school.

This has nothing -- zilch -- to do with the fact Manziel is a redshirt freshman, and freshmen don't win Heisman Trophies. I wouldn't care if he was 33 years old or 16, if he was the best player in the nation, I'd vote for him.

There has been a rush to judgment on Manziel, a burst of Manziel Madness, because he's an irresistible figure who just happened to have his big moment against Alabama on national TV.

Does anybody know what he did against LSU? Not much.

How about A&M's other big opponent, Florida, where he was wildly unproductive?

Kansas State's Collin Klein was the Heisman front-runner until he struggled in a loss to Baylor. Then his candidacy tumbled. But Manziel has had good timing. His bad games happened so long ago, Heisman voters forget, choosing only to note the gigantic total offense numbers and his performance in knocking off then-No. 1 Alabama. If Manziel had struggled late in the season, he'd have been dismissed as a Heisman candidate.

Mind you, Manziel is a magical figure, a modern-day Doug Flutie, and he's going to be a Heisman candidate in the years to come.

>> He's the captain and best player on a defense that allowed just 10.3 points per game and 286.8 yards per game. The Irish defense, playing a challenging schedule every week, ranked second in the nation in scoring defense, sixth in total defense and fifth in pass efficiency defense.

>> He's the captain and best player on a defense that allowed just nine touchdowns to opposing offenses all season. Six of 12 opponents had no touchdowns. Nine of 12 had zero or one touchdown.

>> He's the second ND player to record at least 100 tackles three straight seasons. He tied for second in the FBS with seven interceptions, and has played a role in 11 of Notre Dame's 23 turnovers this season.

I could go on.

But why?

"No doubt where my Heisman vote would go," said Colts fullback Robert Hughes, a Notre Dame graduate. "It's all about Manti's heart. Ask anybody at Notre Dame, they have so much love for him. And seeing what he's come through with his family, there's no question in my mind he's the best college football player in the country.

"If there's ever going to be a time to vote in a defensive player, the time is now. He has all the stats you could ever want. And it couldn't happen to a better person."

The problem with Te'o's candidacy, and the candidacy of any player who isn't a quarterback/running back/wide receiver, is their contributions are not easily quantifiable. Quarterbacks such as Manziel put up numbers, and his have exceeded Cam Newton's and Tim Tebow's. Linebackers don't get numbers, and that's what makes it tough for voters who don't watch Notre Dame on a regular basis.

When it comes time to vote for the Heisman, I look at the statistics, too, but in the final analysis, I apply the eye test.

A year ago, I thought Andrew Luck was the best player in college football. (When I asked Luck for his Heisman pick this year, he demurred and said, "Not the rosiest of subjects for me.")

This year, I applied the eye test once again.

Make mine Manti.

Bob Kravitz is a columnist for The Indianapolis Star. Call him at (317) 444-6643 or email bob.kravitz@indystar.com. You can also follow Bob on Twitter at @bkravitz.